Nutrition on the Run (by Ashley Ludlow

Ashley Ludlow MS, RD, CSG, ACE-CHC, LDN, FAND

Ask the Dietitian:

Q: After a run or bike ride should I drink a protein shake?

A: After a great workout, bike ride or run, many people often reach for a protein shake. The type of protein shakes I’m referring to are the ones you can find at the grocery and health food stores and contain either whey, casein, soy, egg albumin, goat or cow milk, wheat, beef, pea, hemp, or brown rice proteins. They come in either a powder form, or already prepared in a bottle.

If you are a healthy active adult, with a pretty healthy diet, these types of drinks are completely unnecessary. It is not very difficult at all to meet your protein needs without supplementation from protein drinks, shakes, bars, and powders. If you include foods such as eggs, beef, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, nuts, and legumes in your diet, you can easily take in enough protein to meet your needs, even if your needs are increased due to extensive exercise.

More often than not, we are taking in more protein than our body needs. Once you consume more protein than your body can use, your body typically excrete the excess protein through your urine, but if these drinks are providing more calories than you need, the excess calories will be stores as excess weight … not usually a plus!

However, if you are skipping meals, recovering from illness or surgery, or are not taking in enough protein through your regular diet, protein shakes may be beneficial. If you are concerned that you are not taking in enough protein, be sure to talk to a nutrition expert … a Registered Dietitian.

Q: I feel sluggish and tired, should I try a

detox diet?

A: Detox diets are touted as a way to flush toxins out of your system. These diets are quite popular, but they are not scientifically proven. The specifics of detox diets can vary — but usually a period of fasting is followed by a strict diet of raw vegetables, fruit and fruit juices, and water. Some detox diets also recommend using herbs and other supplements along with colon cleansing through enemas or colonics to further empty the intestines. You may lose a little bit of weight from a detox diet, but it is usually temporary from a combination of being on a very low-calorie diet, losing water weight, and from having empty intestines. Plus, you’re likely to lose weight and then gain it right back when you go off any extreme diet.

There is little evidence that detox diets actually remove toxins from the body. Nor do you need to help your body “detoxify.” Your kidneys and liver are quite effective at filtering and eliminating most ingested toxins. So, there is no need to “detox!”

Some say that they feel better on a detox diet, but